A young father who might be called baby-faced himself was jailed over the weekend on an aggravated child abuse charge and $25,000 bond as the result of a two-week investigation into the alleged abuse of his 17-week-old son, who was apparently interfering with the father’s planned jog.
The incident took place two Mondays ago, on Oct, 24. Edward Parker, 18, an unemployed native of Daytona Beach who lives on Berrybush Street in the Mondex (or Daytona North), had woken up at noon that day. He’d volunteered to take care of his child so his girlfriend and the child’s mother, also 18, could do her schoolwork at her own home. He drove her there and came back.
Click On:
- National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Shaken-Baby Cases Rose During the Recession
- Shaken-Baby Syndrome Faces New Questions in Court
The child began to cry. So Parker made him a bottle, placed him in a vibrating chair designed for children, buckled him using the safety restraints, and fed him the bottle, according to a police report. The child fell asleep. Parker prepared for his run. But the child woke up again. “Really, right now”: That’s what Parker told an investigator he was thinking when the baby woke up again, and that the baby, his father thought, was “being a little turd.”
Parker picked up the child and, in his first account to police, said he held him against him and rocked him when the child became unresponsive. Parker sat down on the bed with the child, tried to stand him up on his lap, but the child’s head fell back and the child remained unresponsive. Parker became alarmed and drove the baby to Florida Hospital Flagler, a 15-mile drive through daytime traffic that takes around 25 minutes. He told cops there was no chance the baby had fallen out of the vibrating chair.
At the hospital, where Parker was joined by his father and grandmother, the baby got a head scan. Michael Gibbons, an Emergency Room physician, said the baby was suffering from a subdural hematoma, or hemorrhage, in the left side of his brain—a deadly form of head injury that causes rapid bleeding in the brain and is usually, but not always, the result of blunt force. Subdural hematomas can also occur inexplicably, particularly in the very young ort the old, but very rarely.
Gibbons told police the injuries to the baby were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. When the doctor asked Parker if he’d shaken the baby, he said he rocked him to stop from crying. The baby was taken to Wolfson pediatric Hospital in Jacksonville, where findings worsened. Bruce McIntosh, a physician with the Children Advocacy Center Protective Team with 35 years’ experience in investigations of child abuse, told a Flagler County Sheriff’s detective that in his professional opinion, the child had been abused, and Parker had been the abuser, and that the injuries, according to a police report, were caused by a combination of the child “being slammed onto a soft surface such as a bed and also from being shaken.”
The child had also suffered a contusion to the eye, “caused by some type of blunt force trauma,” the doctor told the investigator, and that the child became symptomatic almost immediately. A report by McIntosh produced two days later revealed that the child also suffered from a corner fracture on his left femur, that the broken bone showed no sign of healing, and that the injury was consistent with abuse, according to the report.
The day the detective got the report, he also got a call from Parker, who told the detective he had to speak to him: that it was an emergency. The detective and a deputy drove to the hospital in Jacksonville, where Parker’s father told the detective that McIntosh had just explained to the family that Parker had caused the child’s injuries. Parker got upset and left the hospital. For a time, no one could find him until the detective was able to reach him and convince him to talk. Parker reenacted the incident with the child—using a tissue box to represent the baby—but the details of his interview have been heavily redacted.
The child remains at the hospital in Jacksonville as of today. Parker was booked into the Flagler County Jail on Friday, where he remains.
Anonymous says
Unbelievable! These young people think everything is like a TEXT, instant! This guy wants to play house makes an instant baby/life ,wants instant quiet and in an instant he’s going to prison. Maybe he should have been jogging to look for a job instead of being a selfish deadbeat.
Anonymous says
He is an honest hard working man, he was 15 days from leavin for the Marine Corps. He also is a wonderful dad and accidents do happy. And i hope you all know the state knew that when they DROPPED THE CHARGES!
Dudley Doright says
Babies raising babies. This kid needs to spend a little time behind bars to reflect on what he did. Doubt it will change him but, its a start. Of course quiting school and being unemployed is somewhat par for the course. However, child abuse hits all social-economic groups. I spent time as a Child Abuse Investigator for DFS, in Florida. I could tell you about some of the cases I worked that would make you sick!
[email protected] says
that mondex sounds like a real loving family community, i might move there
kristy says
sad part is that palm coast and flagler beach are just the same way and you are not any better then us out here in the mondex just because some mess up does not mean that everyone is the same you should of thought about what you said because you said that towards all of the residents of the mondex
Tina says
I am with you Kristy! Not everyone is the same out here. There are a lot of good people out here to that just likes the country life. People need to really think before they speak.
Riley says
Please pray for the baby.
Chris Conklin says
He not only needs time behind bars but also a head injury and a broken leg. I hope they get Flagler live in jail.
Kendall says
And this is why a woman’s right to choose needs to remain legal. Can you imagine how many more awful stories like this we would hear if people that didn’t want children were forced to give birth to & parent them?
Anonymous says
Response to Kendall:
With all do respect, statements like that contribute to why these young people don’t know up from down. So the remedy for making a baby out of wedlock is to kill it? It’s crazy, in one part of a hospital thousands are spent to save a life and in another their aborting babies for much less. On the flip-side those that support the law of no abortion have no problem supporting the bombing of another country where countless babies will die. Adoption is an option. But to take the life of another so a person can start over for better or for worse is nuts. And if it wasn’t alive it wouldn’t have to be aborted. It’s called accountability. This kids destructive behavior would have surfaced anyway if not already. You just can’t kill your problems away.
Max Henderly says
Apparently, no one caught the fact that he was going “jogging” …while baby sitting for his child? So, he was worried that the child woke up and he was not able to leave the child alone while he left????????? Even if the hospital had not found the issues they did, he had already admitted planned child neglect.
happening now says
Was A Guardian for awhile. Unreal parents abuse children, and if they make it to teenagers, they abuse the parents. And the beat goes on, literally.
Poor baby says
I hope this baby gets better and that the mother is a bit more responsible.
palmcoaster says
@ Anonymous, I have to agree with Kendall.
Other that lobbying so hard against women’s right to choose why instead you and all that agree with you do not lobby to help these women one of two: 1) Prevent unwanted pregnancies thru education and free access to contraceptives. 2) Once too late and the pregnancy materialized, why don’t you all lobby or contribute to help these child parents of children by providing free post natal education and also access to free or affordable child care when is needed and they can’t affors. If these two “parent kids” would have had a chance to wether prevent that pregnancy or get few hours of free child care this sad tragedy may have not taken place. All this could be done with the millions that you all spend in lobbying against women’s right to choose.
Doug Chozianin says
Brutalizing children (including sexual abuse) needs to be classified as a capital crime.
A fast-track (30-day) judical program from arrest to conviction to appeal to execution is needed for these deranged animals.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it ACLU.
Anonymous says
@Kendall and Palmcoaster:
So are you saying anytime a person has an unwanted pregnancy, just abort it so you don’t have to face the responsibility? Why would adoption not be an option? Maybe you should start sharing with people that a life/embryo is sacred, and that is’s not yours or mine or anybody’s to take. It seem’s you guy’s want to make it easier for young people to throw away a life like it’s a pair of shoes that don’t fit their lifestyle. The problem isn’t the ABUSED OR UNBORN BABY it’s the idiots enjoying an intimate act that results in bringing forth the life in the first place. Aborting a baby to protect it does not make sense! Don’t say the world is already overpopulated or there are no good families to adopt etc to justify your point. Put in the hard work and teach these irresponsible’s that when they dabble in an arrangement outside of the family unit this is what happens. Not kill the result and move on.
MELISSA COLLINS says
OBDVOIUSLY NO ONE KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AND ARE TO QUICK TO JUDGE. EDDIE PARKER LOVED HIS BABY MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD. THIS WAS A TRUE AND UTTER ACCIDENT. I KNOW THAT THIS BABY WILL NOW PROBABLY SUFFER FROM THIS BUT I THINK THAT IF THESE YOUNG PARENTS WERE REQUIRED TO TAKE SOME KIND OF PARENTING COURSES, THIS MIGHT NOT HAPPEN. THESE YOUNGER PARENTS DON’T KNOW HOW GENTLE YOU MUST BE WITH A NEWBORN BABY. THEY DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE SOFT SPOT ON THEIR HEADS OR THAT THEIR FORMULA NEEDS TO BE WARMED AND THEIR BOTTLES AND NIPPLES NEED TO BE STERALIZED. SO DON’T BLAME EDDIE, BLAME OUR SOCIETY FOR NOT PROPERLY TRAINING THESE YOUNG PARENTS HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THESE BABIES. (THEY DO NOT COME WITH A HANDBOK).
Geezer Butler says
Chances are excellent that Edward Parker was abused as a child. That’s the thing about child abuse – it gets passed down to subsequent generations.
Just take a gander at Parker’s picture so that you can see the product of absent, abusive , or indifferent parents.
Behold the newest abuser in the Parker family, “Eddie.”
Loriel says
Melissa; are you kidding me? My daughters when they were 6 would have known that you had to be gentle with a newborn. The facts are evident as to what happened and most likely that baby will either be permanently brain damaged or will not make it. Society does not owe people that young who have children a thing! They owe it to themselves to be responsible, not have children and if they do, to know that you cannot shake and throw a child. Any idiot would have known better and a handbook is not needed. Save your rant for him.
MELISSA COLLINS says
THAT IS NOT AT ALL WHAT HAPPENED. THIS WAS A COMPLETE ACCIDENT. EDDIE WAS NEVER ABUSED AS A CHILD. IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF A YOUNG PARENT TAKING CARE AND PLAYING WITH A BABY. THAT IS ALL.
Geezer Butler says
Upper and lower-case letters, along with paragraphs are our friends.
ol'sarge says
melissa…I am going to assume you are just too young to know any better. These investigators spend years educating themselves to find tell tale signs of abuse. Yes, babies don’t come with a handbook, but neither do forks and you don’t see idiot kids stabbing themselves in the eye all of the time because nobody held their hand. You need to understand something about common sense…either you have it or you don’t. Bottles don’t have to be warmed, by the way…and what moron doesn’t know babies have a soft spot? As a matter of fact, it is human nature for new parents to be TOO gentle with babies…if this punk didn’t know you have to be careful with a baby, he should thrown in a padded room with a straight jacket and a helmet so he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else. You summed up today’s youth with your statement…don’t blame me, blame society…no accountability!! How about blame yourself, learn how to fix it, FIX IT, and then spend time learning how to be an asset to society rather than a child abusing liability and blight.
fed up says
How is it that all of you want to jump to the conclusion that he was abused? I bet not one of you know this person or how he grew up…do you know for a fact that he was abused or dropped out of school or why he is unemployed (like a lot of Flagler County residents)? Shouldn’t we all be more concerned about the baby and less concerned about him? If he is guilty of this crime, he should be punished. Not one of you has commented on what the child’s mother is going through..you just want to slam someone you don’t even know. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means defending him or his actions, I am just saying unless you KNOW all the details, don’t comment on what you think happened.
I pray that the child can recover from his injuries and that the mother and the rest of the family find the strength to get through this. That is where your concern should be.
Moira Murphy says
It’s obvious abuse. Babies’ bones aren’t fully formed yet so they have more leverage to bend without breaking. This baby had a fractured femur. The femur is the hardest bone in the body to break and a baby’s femur is even harder to break than an adults. A broken femur doesn’t happen with a typical fall (for example, if a 6 ft man dropped a baby from a standing position). A corner fracture in the femur is virtually only seen in abuse cases when it comes to children under 10 (children over 10 can get corner fractures playing sports, although, it’s rare). A small piece of bone in the area of the medial or lateral condyle (depending) is avulsed due to shearing forces on the growth plate, which, is very fragile in wee ones. This typically only happens when the leg is twisted and yanked very (and I mean VERY) hard. I have a background in pediatrics and worked for CPS as an abuse investigator for 6 years.
Lauren says
Kendall:
Jus bcs someone gives birth to a child does not mean they have to parent them. There are several deserving couples that would love to have children but can’t.
MELISSA COLLINS says
I WAS FOURTEEN WHEN I HAD MY FIRST BABY AND GOT MARRIED AND HAVE BEEN MARRIED EVER SINCE. I HAD TO LEARN EVERYTHING ON MY OWN. MOTHERS HAVE THEIR OWN INSTINCE BUT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUNG FATHERS THEY ARE NOT AS KNOWLEDGABLE WHEN IT COMES TO TAKING CARE OF A BABY. HE WAS PLAYING WITH THE BABY AND IT STOPPED BREATHING AND HIS NATURAL INSTINCT WAS TO SHAKE THE BABY.
MELISSA COLLINS says
OH BY THE WAY, I AM NOW 41 AND MY KIDS ARE GROWN AND SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE AND I NOW HAVE A GRANDCHILD WITH ONE ON THE WAY. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHER YOU ARE COMING FROM THINKING OF THAT POOR BABY, BUT PLEASE DON’T BE TOO QUICK TO JUDGE.
Larry Glinzman says
Take the baby away and give it to a decent family looking for a child. End of story.
MELISSA COLLINS says
ol’sarge yes, baby formula does need to be warmed slightly. It keeps them from getting an upset stomach and helps them sleep better. (Loriel) I am sure when you let your six year old daughter hold a baby you told her to be very careful that this is not a babydoll that you can sling around, Eddie was preparing to leave to go into the military.
palmcoaster says
Anonymous myself and probably Kendall too, we do not say or advocate for abortions, as your infuriated accusation attribute us. To the contrary a woman’s right to choose is also thru the educated use of contraceptives to prevent unexpected or unwanted pregnancies…as there is no realistic way to enforce that these young partners avoid sexual activity nowadays.
alyssa says
really, aborting the baby is never an option, Im sure the mother loves her baby and takes wonderful care of it, no it shouldnt be A CHOICE to have or to kill your baby when you are a young mother. unreal people.
MELISSA COLLINS says
TO ME ABORTING A BABY DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION. IF I WAS RAPED I REALLY DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD WANT TO KEEP THE BABY. BUT HOW DID WE GET OFF THE SUBJECT IN HAND.
Sue Luttner says
My heart goes out to this family, which could well be suffering from a double tragedy.
Hard as it is to believe, the model of shaken baby syndrome that’s been widely accepted by child-abuse experts for the past three decades has come under serious question. The symptoms can represent abuse, but they can also result from a variety of legitimate medical conditions, as well as accidental injury, and the timing of the symptoms is not as clear as was once believed.
For an example of a family eventually vindicated, please see http://onsbs.wordpress.com/prologue/
For the tale of a convicted babysitter who I think is innocent, please see http://onsbs.wordpress.com/cases/another-disturbing-case/
A fracture can be more than a day old and still show no signs of healing, by the way. “Fresh” is a relative term in radiology.
ol'sarge says
melissa…no, formula does not need to be warmed, room temperature will suffice, but that is not the point. the point is there are certain things that do not need to be spelled out for people who have not had a partial brain removal…using caution with a baby so you don’t give them a brain bleed, multiple bruises, and a femur fracture is just plain common sense. I don’t know what game you think they were playing that could accidentally cause all of those injuries, but I suggest you open your eyes. Unless they were playing pinata, minus the pinata, it would appear something is afoul.
confucius says
In terms of abortion, just leave it at the fact it should be legal. PERIOD. If you do not agree with abortion, do not get one. If you feel that women should make a better decision for themselves and their child, maybe you should go to high schools and talk to young women. Start a fundraiser to donate money to help young mothers and fathers with the cost of having children and day to day expenses. Medicaid doesn’t cover everything and it doesn’t offer support. It is hard to be a young parent, even harder to be a teenage parent but it can be done and done well. Us parents are not given a manual, lol. But you do have to use intuition and common sense. In this situation though, you need to understand the femur is a hard bone to break. Can it happen without abuse? Yes. But that would mean a bone disorder, or a certain kind of toy the baby was using. Also the type of fracture can shed light. All of these injuries put together though is more than just an accident. I’m saddened that this paints a bad light on teenage parents, I hope the baby recovers fully.
GATOR says
sorry melissa you know i wasn’t getting on to you we know the real edward parker.it’s our system that has failed for a teen to get a drivier licence they have to take a class but to have a baby nothing at all..and i agree it’s children having children.these children need to have to go to a class to learn about caring for their child..you people from palm jersey you want to know what the sad part is this baby in DCF’s hands when they had a hearing for this baby you had the babys mother two set of grandparents and two set of great grandparents.and DCF asked the judge to place baby in foster care even the judge ask why because of everyone who was there for the hearing..now thats wrong i don’t know how many people have had to deal with DCF but i’ve had to deal with them once. and everyone that knows me knows i love my child and would never hurt my child.but anyone can pick up the phone call DCF hot line as get back.and that is what happen to me.they said i lock my child in the closet and i’m thankful that the woman that came out to visit my home did her job right…i’m not trying to defend edward i’m just making it clear edward is a good kid let him have his day in court. because all you people that are quick to judge and write trash about the boy..
Kaitlyn says
I honestly believe that Eddie is where he belongs. The poor baby wasn’t doing anything wrong. However i agree that teenagers should take parenting classes. They are available for other adult couples, so why didn’t they look into those classes?
Angela Amirr says
I have a 4 year old grandson that was shaken and thrown just like this baby. When he was 18 months old, the boyfriend of the mother, was watching her 3 children while she went to work. She trusted him to take care of the twins, which were 18 months and a 4 year old. Something happened that morning that 911 was called and the child was unresponsive. To make a long story short, the child is now 4 and has several handicapps. People do things in an instant not wanting to hurt the children, but that doesn’t make it ok to shake, hit or throw a child. He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
return on capital says
Definitely imagine that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the internet the simplest thing to consider of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider concerns that they plainly don’t realize about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top as smartly as outlined out the entire thing with no need side-effects , folks could take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thanks